The exemplary embodiment relates to the information processing arts, classification arts, and related arts. It finds particular application in connection with systems and methods for the categorization of customer documents using a mobile device.
Since the advent of digital image sensors, categorization of customer documents captured as a digital image has become common. The captured digital document images may be used for a variety of data extraction purposes, for example, when a customer wishes to subscribe to a new contract with a company, such as a wireless cellphone provider. Much of the required information can be filled out using forms stored electronically on a PC or mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet. However, a number of physical documents may still be needed, so that they can be scanned for verification. Such documents may include ID cards, driving licenses, passports, proof of address (household utility bills, rent receipts, crossed checks, bank account information, etc.). Traditionally, the scanned or photographed images of these customer documents are routed to a specific workflow to be categorized (automatically or manually by an operator) and processed to extract the required data. In the business context, time is often of the essence, as an ideal situation is that feedback and control of these categorized and processed documents is done in a little time as possible. In the ideal situation, the vendor can ask for additional information before the customer leaves the store, in the event that the particular document was not processed successfully.
When processing the data extracted by such documents, distortions such as noise, dimensions, skew, and rotation make automated categorization and further document processing more difficult. Document image capturing using the camera of a mobile device may increase this difficulty. For example, given a digital document image with one of the aforementioned distortions, miscategorization or non-categorization may occur, requiring intervention by a human operator to manually categorize the document. There are many applications which correct these distortions before categorizing, but these applications require distortion correction after the digital image of the document has been captured, increasing document processing time.
There remains a need for a system and method for improving the image capture and thus increasing the likelihood of successful categorization.